Paprikan Canada Voyage : Inside and Beyond

Hello, this is Yuvin Kim from the Walla team. More people than I expected have read the Paprika Canada Venture Story written last year and requested a sequel, so today I've written a post reflecting on my experiences with Canadian/overseas ventures and outlining our future direction.

Relationship Between Product and People

The phrase "the fit between the product and the people who make it must be good" didn't really resonate with me before. Like many things in the world, I think I've come to understand it somewhat through experience. The fit of a product goes beyond simply what field it's in; it carries more meanings.

As the product grows, so does the maker. I believe that when the product reaches its peak, it should resemble the life goals of the maker, so the maker can continuously find motivation. This applies not only to founders but also to team members who share precious moments together. Simply put, humans seem to endlessly seek fundamental motivations. If someone's life goal is to live abroad but they're making a local-based app, they'll constantly question why they're making it. Life is finite, challenges without motivation come with risks, and youth is short.

A Certain Hypothesis

From the moment there are two people, one who makes the product and one who catches and acts on the needs of the customer, a small startup team is formed. My co-founder Youngbum and I are a pair of "developer and non-developer." Whenever something comes to mind, Youngbum made the product, and I handled the necessary ensemble. With this combination, we've spent the last four years making anything and everything. We've proven to ourselves that there's nothing we can't do with this invincible combination. We've achieved this despite being inexperienced college students!

So, we want to create this invincible combination into multiple teams and venture overseas. Canada was the place to start experimenting with this hypothesis. (For a detailed explanation of "Why Canada?" please refer to the previous article.)

For those who read the Paprika Canada Venture Story, here's a brief update:

1. Currently, with Paprika Data lab's Tech leader Jun and Customer developer Nam at the forefront, we continue our life and business in Canada.

2. Finally, Stripe integration was completed last year, and recently we've started accepting payments through Stripe within Walla's services.

3. We're diligently preparing to expand Walla's user base in the North American market, including Canada.

4. To start this off, in the first half of the year, we're also challenging Product Hunt, known as the startup billboard chart. To vote for Walla, you'll need to go through the process of signing up and activating your account on Product Hunt. We ask for your support starting with the sign-up process.

5. In March, I'll also be briefly heading to the east side of Canada. Please contact yuvin@paprikadatalab.com for local meetings in Canada in March!

Starting with Canada, when Walla matures even more, we plan to localize Walla in various countries such as the United States, Japan, and Singapore, with pairs of developers and non-developers. Just as the team that started with Youngbum and me has grown to ten people, we will also establish roots in each country. When we asked developers about living abroad during Paprika interviews, they might have felt puzzled. As Walla aims to be a global SaaS service, considering whether the fit between the product and the maker matches and whether they can grow together with Walla's expansion is crutial. It's best if highly knowledgeable initial members about the product can grow together, from junior to senior, and even venture abroad.

I feel a little embarrassed to have written down the stories in my head. I love Kant's saying, "Treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never merely as a means to an end, but always at the same time as an end." I hope Paprika's life becomes more beautiful with the Walla team, that Paprika members, who are like sons and daughters to me, can grow with Walla until the end, and that I can raise Walla while keeping my beliefs intact.

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• This content was written as of February 16, 2024.